When She's Gone
by Yet to be Broken
Summary: Austin and Ally are very possibly falling in love with each other.  But after a horrible accident, Ally is put in a coma.  When she wakes, she has developed amnesia.  Dallas takes this chance to ask Ally out, much to Austin's dismay.  Does Ally really like Austin, deep down inside, and not remember, or is Dallas truly the one for her?
1. Just Another Day

"Ally, why do you _always_ have to work?" I complained.

"My Dad went to Europe for a month! You know that, Austin." Ally replied. "You know that I'd like a break."

"Well, then you go on break and I'll run the store!" I suggested.

Ally gave me that "are you an idiot?" look. "No way! The last time you ran the store for me, the cops showed up."

"It was just a little accident!" I argued.

"Dude, you brought a _penguin_ into the store!" She replied.

"Did not. That was Dez." I told her very matter-of-factly.

"Well, you let him!" She shook her head. "Well, no matter. We're closing soon, and then I can finish that new song for you!"

"Yay!" I clapped. "But before that do you wanna get something to eat? You skipped lunch."

She thought about it. "I really need to get the song done… Could you go get me something, Austin?'

I took out my wallet to see if I would have enough money. "Yeah." I told her. "What do you want?"

"Oh, just go get me a salad from the food court, okay?" She replied, going to assist a customer.

"C'mon, get a burger or something. You're already thin." I said.

"No, no. I'll take the salad." She told me.

Rolling my eyes, I walked out of the music store and towards the food court. So that Ally didn't feel alone, I also ordered a salad. As I waited for the food, I thought about Ally. She was high-strung, creative, and kinda pretty. No, wait. Pretty? How did that thought get in my head? Ugh. I need food.

I rushed back to the store with our salads. "Here you go." I said.

"Thanks Austin! Would you mind locking up for me? I'll be upstairs." She gave me a quick hug and rushed away.

I smiled as I locked the door. She was so rushed in life… it was kinda cute. Why do I keep thinking these things? Pretty? Cute? She's my _partner_. Not anything else. And we never would be anything else. Right?

I went upstairs. When I heard Ally's melodious voice from behind the closed door, I stopped to listen. She sounded… good. I mean, I knew that she was good. But she sounded _amazing_. And passionate. I didn't recognize the song she was singing, but it sure was pretty.

"_When you feel like you are all alone_

_Just like your best friend up and gone_

_Don't worry now, don't worry now._

_I've been there; yeah I know how it feels_

_To wonder if love is even real_

_Don't worry now, don't worry now_

_It's gonna be okay."_

When she finished the song, I walked into the room. "Oh, Austin! Have you been listening?" She asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah. You sounded really good, though."

"Oh, I did?" She let out a sigh of relief. "I was going to keep it a surprise, but I might as well tell you. I'm posting recordings of me singing on YouTube. I don't show myself up on screen or give away my identity to help my stage fright. I'm kinda scared that I'm not very good."

"Why would you think that? You're amazing." I assured her.

"Well, I just listen to you sing all the time. I could _never_ be as good as you. You're just too good at singing." She smiled. "But I guess I'm still pretty good."

"Oh, way better than you think. But let's work on that new song, okay?"

She smiled and began to play her piano. Another thing she was great at. I couldn't imagine how my life would be right now without her. But I do know that it would be terrible.

* * *

><p><em>Later that night…<em>

Dez and I were sitting in my car, parked in my driveway and listening to the radio. We always had fun singing along with our favorite songs and dancing to the ones we didn't know that well. "So, how was Ally?" He asked as we waited for a good song to come on.

"Oh, you know. Good." I replied.

"Just good? How edgy was she?"

"Her usual amount of edginess. Nothing out of the ordinary." I told him, looking out the window.

"You're acting odd." He commented. "Do you not want to talk about Ally?"

"Not really…"

"Oh, this just got good! What happened? Did you guys get in a fight? Did she slap you? Dude, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Dez, no. We didn't get into a fight, she didn't slap me, and there's nothing left to say. Understand?" I snapped. I was really getting tired of talking about her.

"Well, something's up with you two. And I will find out." He said with finality.

* * *

><p><em>Ally's P.O.V.<em>

So Trish came over that night with popcorn and a chic flick. That meant that something was up. "Hey, girl!" She said. "Did Austin leave?"

"Yeah, he's been gone for like an hour. I've just been upstairs singing." I replied, walking upstairs. I put the movie in my DVD player and began to watch it with Trish. We weren't really paying attention, though.

"How is Mr. Moon?" Trish asked.

"Fine. Why?"

"Oh, just curious."

I gave her a look of disbelief before saying, "What do you want to know, Trish?"

Trish sighed, but then exclaimed, "Okay, _everybody_ wants to know. Do you like Austin?"

"As a friend, yeah. But not more than that."

"Are you positive?"

"One hundred percent."

I could tell by the look she had on her face that she didn't believe me.

**The song listed above is NOT mine. It is "Don't Worry Now" and was written by Britt Nicole. No copyright infringment intended.**


	2. The Accident

_Austin's P.O.V._

I woke up the next morning and immediately thought of Ally. Why did I do that? Gosh, it's not like I like her or something… Or did I? Heck, I'm going crazy.

I grabbed my phone off of my nightstand and called Dez. "Morning." He muttered, and I could tell I woke him up.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked. "Go back to sleep."

"Naw. I needed to wake up anyway. What's up?" He assured me.

"Dude, I think I may have an itsy bitsy crush on Ally." I didn't want to beat around the bush.

"I knew it!" Dez replied excitedly. "Are you going to tell her?"

"Are you _crazy_? She doesn't like me – not like that." I told him. "I'd just make a fool of myself."

"You always make a fool of yourself. Why is this different?" Dez questioned.

"Because it would be in front of Ally… what am I saying? I am going CRAZY!"

"It looks like Austin is growing up. How sweet!" Dez mocked.

"Not funny. Not funny at all." I mumbled.

"Well, I'll be at your house in 15 minutes. We must discuss!" Dez hung up the phone.

I fell backwards on my bed and sighed. _What am I going to do?_ I wondered to myself. _I can't be in love with Ally Dawson._

But I got up, grabbed some clean clothes, and jumped in the shower. I let the warm water run down my back for a few minutes. It relaxed me. I washed my hair and then got out. I towel dried myself before dressing in clean sweatpants and a t-shirt. When I was finished in the bathroom, I went downstairs to find Dez sitting on my couch.

"What took you so long?" He asked.

"Sorry. I was in the shower." I replied.

"Oh, okay. Have you talked to Ally at all today?" Dez asked.

"No. You're the only person I've talked to." I answered.

"What? Call her, text her, go get lunch or something! It doesn't have to be considered a date, you know." Dez was bouncing with excitement. I think he wanted me to get together with Ally.

"You came over to my house just to tell me to go out with Ally?" I inquired.

"No, I'm out of bread at my house. I wanted a sandwich." Dez replied.

"Stay away from my Canadian bacon, and I'll take Ally out to lunch." I told him.

"Deal. But I'm _not_ making any promises about that chocolate cake your mom made." Dez replied.

So I went upstairs to call Ally. "Hey, Austin! What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go get lunch or something. We _never_ hang out unless we're writing a song."

"Well, I was going to make another video this afternoon… How about we grab something to go and you can help me?" Ally suggested.

"Yeah, sounds like fun! I'll meet you outside the store at noon."

"Okay! I'll see ya then!" She hung up.

I walked back downstairs.

"So what are you guys doing?" Dez questioned.

"Getting some lunch and then going back to the store to work on some stuff." I responded.

"Woohoo!" Dez cheered playfully.

I punched him in response.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, I arrived at the music store right on time. I wore a fresh pair of jeans and a graphic t-shirt. But Ally looked… spectacular. She wore a simply brown skirt with a hem just above her knees and a white and brown striped halter top. "Hi Austin!"<p>

"Hey Ally. You look great." I smiled at her.

"Thanks." She replied, also smiling.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked.

"Let's go to the Burger King down the street." She said.

"You getting a burger today?" I asked.

"I'm going to get a burger." She replied, laughing.

"Yay!" I laughed.

We walked down to the Burger King, and I bought her lunch. "You really don't have to pay. I have money." Ally argued.

"I'm paying." I told her with finality.

"Well, if you really want to." She agreed.

So I paid. "Let's just eat here." She told me.

"Yeah, okay." I agreed.

I found a table and we both sat down. We both ate in silence. "So, did Trish spend the night at your house again?"

"No, just came over for a movie night." She replied.

"What movie?"

"Oh, you know. Just a chic flick."

"Cool." I said sarcastically. I'd never watch a chic flick. Ever.

"Oh, don't act like you've never had a girlfriend that made _you_ watch a chic flick. And that you secretly loved it." Ally joked.

"I've never really had a serious 'girlfriend'. Just dates." I confessed. "No girl has really made a big impression in my life, ya know?"

"I completely understand. I've actually never been on a real date." She blushed. "Is that weird?"

"Hey, it's not your fault that guys don't notice you. You really are amazing." I told her.

"Aw, thanks Austin!" She smiled and blushed a little redder.

When we were finished, we went to walk back to the store. We were crossing the road when Ally screamed, "Austin! Watch out!" and pushed me out of the way of a car.

Unfortunately, she didn't move in time. The car slammed into her body. I whisked out my cell phone and called 911, and then Dez.

"Dez! Ally got hit by a car!" I yelled, and then hung up.

I did the same to Trish. I didn't start crying until I saw Ally bleeding.


	3. Guilt

I was sitting with Dez in the hospital waiting room. I was still crying a little, and Dez was trying to comfort me but miserably failing. "She probably won't die, Austin!"

"What do you mean, probably? What if she does? It's all my fault…" I felt terribly guilty.

"She'll be fine! And Trish'll be here soon. You should probably be frightened." Dez warned. "She's gonna want an explanation."

"Wow, Dez. Real comforting." I sighed and wiped the tears out of my eyes.

"Sorry. I know you really care about Ally…"

"Shh! What if someone heard that?" I looked around the room. "It's a _secret._"

"You _know_ you shouldn't tell me secrets." Dez whined. "I mean, do you know how tempting it is to tell everyone about that time that the school bully put peanut butter all over your pants and you got chased by dogs the entire way home?"

"Ha, I'm using that against you." Trish said behind us.

"_Dez!_" I punched my freckled friend in the arm.

"Sorry. It's not my fault that Trish is sneakier than a ninja." Dez apologized.

"Nothing's sneakier than a ninja, idiot." Trish said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Dez nodded his head. "Maybe Trish _is_ a ninja!"

"Shut it. How's Ally?" Trish softened up when she addressed me.

"I don't know, she's still with the doctor. I'm really scared for her." I told her.

"What happened? Exactly. _Details_."

"Well, we walked over to Burger King for lunch, and on the way back I almost got hit by a car, but Ally pushed me out of the way." I told her.

"Why'd you go out to lunch?" Trish asked.

"Because Ally and I never hang out anymore." I replied. She was starting to step on forbidden territory.

"Well, if she dies, I'm blaming you." Trish's comment came out very sharp.

I started to cry again, and Trish's expression softened again. "Hey, I'm sorry."

"No, it _is_ my fault…"

"Austin, it was her choice to push you out of the way." Trish said.

"But I was the one that wasn't paying attention in the first place. What if Ally dies? I'll be the one to blame." I cried out. "I can't live with that."

Trish hugged me – which isn't like her at all. "It's okay, Austin. She's not going to die. She's stronger than she looks."

"I hope so." I said.

Then the doctor came out. "Austin Moon?"

"That's me." I said.

"Come with me."

I followed the doctor down a hallway. We came to a room and he opened the door and let me in. Ally was lying – asleep – on the bed. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Most likely. But she is currently in a coma. There is also a chance that she will suffer amnesia when she wakes."

"How long will it be until she wakes up?"

"Hopefully it will be within the next few weeks. You said her father is in Europe?"

"Yes, he left three days ago. He was going for a month."

"Do you know if there is any way to contact him?"

"Well, I could e-mail him."

"Please do that. He needs to be informed." The doctor told me. "Now, what about her mother."

"Um…" I started. To be honest, I didn't know what had happened to her mother. "She doesn't… keep in contact with Ally and her father."

"Oh… well then, please get in contact with her father. In the time being, we'll just have to wait for Ally to wake up." The doctor replied. "I'm going to leave you alone. Please leave in a few minutes."

The doctor left the room. I was left sitting alone with Ally, the girl of my dreams. I pulled a chair up next to her bed and grabbed her hand. I sat there and thought aloud. "Oh, Ally. It should have been me…"

That night I dreamt about Ally. "Hello, Austin." She had said.

"Ally! Are you okay?" I had smiled excitedly.

"Yeah. But I'm never going to forgive you for this…" She replied.

"What?" It hurt to hear that – even in a dream.

"I could've died… It's your fault…" And then the dream shifted to black.

I shot up in my bed, and I realized I was crying again. I called Dez immediately. "Dez… Can you come over?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in five minutes." And then he hung up. That was Dez – always prepared for an emergency.

I went downstairs and laid on the couch while I waited. Dez arrived right on time, and I let him inside. "Hey, what's up?" He asked.

"I can't stop thinking about Ally… What if she wakes up and blames me for her getting hurt?"

"Austin, Ally thinks rationally. And it was her decision to push you out of the way. And, you said she's fine, right?" Dez assured me.

"Yeah… but I feel so terrible. I can't sleep."

"Tell ya what. You go upstairs, take a shower, put on your lucky underwear, and I'll make you a sandwich." Dez patted me on the back.

"Yeah, I'll do that." I said, going upstairs.

I went to start up a shower, but I decided to take a hot bath instead. It would be much more relaxing for me. When I was done in the bath, I put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and went downstairs. Dez had a sandwich and a bowl of soup waiting for me.

"Feel better?"

"A little… what kind of soup is it?"

"Chicken noodle. What else would I make?" Dez responded as if it were obvious.

"Good point."

"Hey, Austin?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that you might love Ally?"

"I don't know, Dez. I really don't know."


	4. Will She Wake?

The next few weeks were pure torture. I spent all my time thinking and worrying about Ally. Trish, Dez, and I also had to watch the music store, according to Ally's father. He wasn't able to come back home, thanks to money problems. We talked briefly, but the three of us were so busy trying to get Ally out of our heads, that we just worked in silence.

I wondered a lot. Like if Ally actually liked me too. Or if I _loved_ Ally. But my biggest fear and worry would be that Ally would have amnesia and wouldn't remember me when she woke up. But I knew that she would eventually get over _that_, right? Right?

"Excuse me, where is Ally?" Ugh, it was _Dallas_. You know, the guy Ally has a huge crush on.

"Didn't you hear? She got hit by a car and is in a coma." I replied. I didn't really like this guy, but I didn't really know why.

"Well I heard she got hit by a car, but not that she was in a coma! I'm _so_ sorry!" Dallas exclaimed. "Well, lemme know when she wakes up, okay?"

"Can do." I told him, getting back to help a customer.

"Thanks, Austin." He said, walking out of the store.

"What was with Mr. Gorgeous there?" Trish asked me.

"He wanted to know where Ally was."

"Why'd you shoo him away?" Trish inquired.

"Does it matter..?"

"Yeah. You've been acting kinda fishy around Ally lately. Like the way you took her out to lunch. Or how you _constantly_ think about her." Trish raised her eyebrows.

"I do not think about her constantly! I'm just worried, that's all…"I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Well, why did you try so hard to get rid of Dallas? I mean, you made it really obvious you wanted him out of the store." Trish kept pushing for an answer.

"It doesn't matter!"

"If it doesn't matter, then you shouldn't mind telling me." Trish was clever.

"Why do you need to know?"

"Because Ally is my best friend. And if you…" Trish snapped her fingers. "You like her!"

"Yeah, like a _friend_." I lied.

"You're a _really_ bad liar, Austin."

"Well, so what. I like her. It's not like she likes me too, so I'm not going to do anything about it."

"What if she _does_ like you?" Trish shared her suspicions with me.

"You think she might?" Best news I've heard all day.

"Absolutely. I mean, she kinda likes Dallas, but I'm fairly certain she's falling pretty hard for you."

"Oh my gosh…"

"Calm down, Austin." Trish warned. "I don't know for sure."

"I really hope you're right though…" I smiled stupidly.

"Well, I normally am." She winked at me.

Later on that day, I went to visit Ally in the hospital. I sat alone by her bed. I was holding her small, soft hand and trying not to cry. "Oh, Ally…" I whispered.

I tried to remember how that one song that I heard Ally singing went. I couldn't remember, so I got out my iPod and YouTube-d it. After a few minutes of searching, I finally found it: _Don't Worry Now_ by Britt Nicole.

I played the song and listened to the lyrics. The chorus was probably the best part.

_When you feel like you are all alone_

_Just like your best friend up and gone_

_Don't worry now, don't worry now_

_I've been there, yeah, I know how it feels_

_To wonder if love is even real_

_Don't worry now, don't worry now_

_It's gonna be okay_

I played it over and over until I was able to sing it, softly, to myself and Ally. "Do you really like me, Ally?" I wondered aloud.

Ally's hand twitched and her eyelids fluttered open. "Where…"

"Shh, you're at the hospital. You got hit by a car."

"Who are you?" She asked.

**Once again, I'd just like to say that the song lyrics in this chapter (along with the first chapter) are NOT mine. And sorry this chapter was kinda short..**


	5. Amnesia?

I looked at Ally, wishing that I had misheard her. "What?"

"Who are you?" She asked once more.

"Ally, don't you remember me? I'm Austin. Austin Moon. You know, you write songs for me. I perform them." I tried to remind her.

"I'm sorry – I don't think…"

"C'mon, Ally, try to remember!" I said desperately.

"Please, just… go get a doctor, okay?" Ally suggested. "I'm sorry I don't remember you."

"It's… it's fine. I'll go find the doctor." I was trying really hard not to cry.

I walked out of the room and found Dr. Martin. "Ally just woke up." I told him. "I think she might have amnesia, though…"

"I'm so sorry. Did she…"

"She doesn't remember who I am." I sighed.

"Well, her memory will most likely come back in a few weeks. Until then, I'll just need you and your friends to help take care of her and help her develop her memory." Dr. Martin instructed.

"Yes sir." I replied.

"Well, just go home. I'll call you when you and your friends can come back and visit her, okay?"

"Yeah, thank you so much." I thanked him.

I then walked out of the hospital and went back the music store.

"How was Ally doing?" Trish asked.

"Well, she's out of her coma." I began

"That's great!" Dez said.

"She has amnesia. She didn't remember me." I slumped into a chair.

Dez gave me a hug. "Gosh, Austin. I'm _so_ sorry."

"Does she remember the rest of us?" Trish asked.

"I forgot to ask. Dr. Martin is going to call me tomorrow when we can come visit her." I responded. "I think that she'll remember you, Trish. I'm not sure about Dez though."

"Dang it!" Dez whined.

"She'll get her memory back eventually." I assured them.

"Yeah, but what do we do until then?" Trish asked.

"Just try and cope with it, I guess." I shrugged my shoulders. "We'll probably need to help her a little bit."

"I hope she gets her memory back soon." Trish said. "I wanna know if I was right about her liking you!"

_Ally's P.O.V._

I sat alone for a really long time. The nurses would come into the room and check on me every once in a while, but I was really bored. I kept thinking about that blonde boy that was sitting by my bed when I woke up… I didn't know who in the world he was. But he seemed so hurt about it. It must be my amnesia.

I wondered when Trish would come visit me. At least I remembered her. Maybe she could help me remember everything I had forgotten. Like who that boy was.

_Austin's POV_

I went to visit Ally the next day with Trish and Dez. I had told Dallas that Ally had woken up (only because Trish had threatened to tell a mob of fangirls where I live).

So we went to see her. "Hey, Ally." Trish greeted her. "Remember me?"

"How could I forget my best friend?" Ally responded. It hurt. I guess I _hadn't_ made a big impact in Ally's life, then.

"You remember Austin? And Dez?" Trish asked.

"I'm sorry… Those names, I know them, but I can't put them with a face or any memories. I'm really sorry." Ally had a look on her face that told me she was struggling to remember us.

"Well, how do you like it here?" Trish asked.

"It's _really_ boring." Ally complained. "Who are Austin and Dez?"

"I'm Austin." I told her. "Me and you… we're partners."

"Partners?"

"Yeah. You write songs, and I perform them." I explained.

"Oh, yeah."

"And I'm Dez. I'm just Austin's best friend." Dez smiled at her.

"Hello, Dez. I'm sorry I don't remember you guys." Ally apologized.

"Oh, Ally. It's okay. It's not your fault." I assured her.

"Well, the doctor said my memory will come back eventually… Until then…" Ally studied the plain blanket on her bed.

"Don't stress, Ally." Trish told her. "You'll be fine."

"How did I end up here, anyways?" Ally questioned.

I dropped my gaze to the floor. "Well, you see… Me and you went to lunch, and I almost got hit by a car. You pushed me out of the way and got hit instead of me…"

"Oh." Ally replied. "I don't blame you."

I sighed. "Well, I'm glad you aren't mad at me for it…"

Then, the door opened and Mr. Perfect (aka Dallas) walked into the room. "Hey, Ally! I heard you had amnesia."

Ally smiled. "Now _you_ I remember."


	6. Ugh, Dallas

That hurt somewhere it was hard to hurt. The heart. I felt like Ally had just fed my heart to a kajillion piranhas and then put it through a paper shredder. "What?" Trish asked, obviously shocked.

"I remember him. Hi, Dallas." Ally smiled sweetly at him. Uck.

"Well, that's a relief. Austin, thanks for letting me know she was awake." Dallas put his hand out like he wanted me to shake it.

"Oh! Are you two friends?" Ally tilted her head to the side.

"We have a more bittersweet relationship." I explained and walked out of the room.

Trish followed me, as did Dez. "Austin!" Trish called after me.

"It's over, Trish. She _obviously_ doesn't like me. She never did, and she never will. It's _over_." I cried out, tears beginning to fall from my eyes.

"You don't know that, Austin." Dez tried to comfort.

"Dez, she remembered Dallas, the boy she's barely talked to, but not me, her partner. Her _friend_." I was very upset, if you couldn't tell. "Let's just face it. Ally didn't like me."

"Austin, don't give up. The human mind is a tricky thing." Trish tried to reassure me, but it wasn't going to work.

"Whatever." I muttered. "I'm going home."

And I did.

_Ally's POV_

"What's wrong with him?" Dallas asked me.

"When I woke up, I didn't remember him… I still don't, but…" I trailed off.

"Well, I'm sure he'll get over it. And you'll get your memory back, right?" Dallas asked.

"I should…" I replied. "But I have no idea how long that's going to take."

"Well, at least you remember me." Dallas grinned at me.

I knew that I had liked him at some point in my life, but I wasn't so sure that I felt that way about him anymore. Something in my gut was telling me that I liked someone else, someone more special than Dallas. But I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Yeah." I smiled back. "That's kinda… nice."

"It is." Dallas was staring into my eyes, and I into his.

"So, how are you doing?" I asked politely.

"Oh, I'm doing very well." He replied. "I think that the real question is how you are doing today."

"Well, I'm kinda confused. I don't remember much from my life." I shrugged my shoulders. "I just… I _know_ these things, but I can't put all the pieces together in my mind. It's really frustrating."

"Well, I'm here for you. I mean, Austin and Trish and Dez are too… but I am. Right now." He moved a little closer towards my bed.

"Dallas?"

"Ally, I've liked you for quite a while." He confessed.

"Well, you know that I like you." I felt all the blood rush to my face.

"Yeah. So I was wondering…"

"Yeah?"

"After you're out of the hospital, would you be mine?" He asked super sweet.

_Austin's POV_

I sat at home alone all night long, just thinking about Ally. How she had lit up like a Christmas tree when Dallas walked into the room. How she had completely forgotten who I am. How she didn't like me.

It was the worst night ever.

It started with me making dinner. I made myself a hamburger. I took the first bite and remembered how we'd had burgers for lunch the day she got hit.

I threw up the burger.

Then I was hungry still so I made myself chicken noodle soup. I was almost done with that when I remembered that Dez had made me chicken noodle soup the day I confessed that I liked Ally.

The soup ended up in the same place as the burger.

When I decided I couldn't take it any more, I went into my bedroom and started listening to music. Ally had added some of her favorite songs to my iPod, so I listened to all of those songs. I fell asleep listening to _Keep Holding On_ by Avril Lavigne.

_Keep holding on_

'_Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

_Just stay strong_

'_Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you_

_There's nothing you can say_

_Nothing you can do_

_There's no other way when it comes to the truth_

_Keep holding on_

'_Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Okay, the song in this chapter is NOT mine. It is Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne. No copyright infringement intended.<em>**


	7. Ally's Answer

_Ally's POV_

I sat there in awe, not knowing how to respond. _"…will you be mine?"_ Dallas had asked me.

"I… don't know what to say." I admitted. "I mean, I just woke up from a coma, I don't really know much about my own life…"

"But you remember me, Ally." Dallas said desperately. "That's _gotta_ mean something!"

"Dallas, look. I just need some time to think." I gave him a smile. "After I'm let out of the hospital, once I'm back at home, I promise I'll give you an answer."

Dallas just sat there for a minute, looking really disappointed. "Well, I respect what you think is best for you."

"Thanks, Dallas." I sighed. I hadn't wanted to upset him.

"Whatever. Well, I'll come visit you soon." Dallas left the room without a proper goodbye.

I noticed my cell phone sitting on the table next to my bed. I called the nurse down to my room. "Would it be okay if one of my friends visited me?"

"Just for a while, dear." She replied.

So I grabbed my cell phone and called Trish. "Hey Trish!"

"Hey girl! How's it going?"

"Real well. Come to the hospital ASAP." I said quickly.

"I can't! I got another job." Trish told me.

"That never stopped you before."

A pause. "Good point. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, see ya then."

"See ya." She hung up.

I then texted Trish, asking her to bring her my iPod. Soon she showed up at the hospital with a teddy bear and my iPod.

"Lemme guess. Job at the toy store?" I smiled at my best friend.

"I bought the teddy bear with my employee discount, and then quit." She grinned at me.

"That's my Trish!" I really did enjoy having her around.

"So why am I here?" She inquired.

"Well, it's about Dallas."

"This oughta be interesting." She smiled, but something like disappointment was in her eyes.

"He… he wanted…" I stammered. She looked _so_ upset about something.

"He asked you out?" Trish asked.

I blushed. "Yeah…"

"And what did you say?" Trish raised her eyebrows.

"I said I wanted to wait until I got out of the hospital to think about it… I don't know what if I'll say yes or no." I sighed. "He seemed really disappointed.

"Oh. I don't think you should."

"What? I mean, I _do_ like Dallas. Right?"

"Last I checked… then again, you've been pretty secretive lately." She informed me.

"I have?"

"Yeah. You've been leaving out an awful lot of details."

"Oh…"

"Look, Ally…" She sat down. "I really don't think you're in to Dallas all that much anymore…"

"Well, my heart is telling me I like _someone_."

"Then let's find out who that _someone_ is." Trish grinned at me.

_Austin's POV_

I paced around my bedroom for about 2 hours before calling Dez. "Hey, Dez."

"Austin! What's up?"

"I can't stop thinking about Ally…" I sighed. "I think something is seriously wrong with me."

"It's just been hard, man. It's difficult to have the person you love totally forget who you are." Dez told me as if it was common.

"You just don't understand… It _is_ all my fault. What if I've lost her forever and it's all my fault?" I said.

"It's not your fault." Dez assured me. "And besides, Ally is smart enough to not go out with pond scum like Dallas."

"I sure hope so."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry that this chapter was so short! <strong>


	8. Moments of Normality

A few days later, Ally was released from the hospital. Trish stayed with her so that she wasn't alone all the time. Everyone helped out at the music store and in our free time, worked on her memory.

"Okay, let's start with Dez. Who's he?" Ally asked me and Trish one day.

"He's my best friend, and does my music videos." I explained.

"Music videos?" Ally questioned.

"Yeah. Like I said, you write songs, I perform them. I'm an internet star." I reminded her.

"I remember writing songs. Why don't I perform them again?"

"You have stage fright. I don't know why, though." I responded.

"Oh, okay." Ally nodded her head like she understood. "I suppose I should continue writing songs for you?"

"No, not until you remember why you're doing it. We've alerted my fans about our predicament." I explained. "Until you're 100% better, there will be no song writing necessary."

She sighed. "That's a relief."

"I'd imagine so." Trish said. "I mean, how embarrassing would it be to actually just rewrite one of your already-written songs…"

"Hey, guys?" I heard the muffled voice of Dez call from across the store.

We all rushed over to him, to find his head stuck in a drum. "Dez, you're paying for that…" Ally sighed.

"Can you just help me get this thing off my head?" Dez asked. "No mocking."

"You must have a pretty big head to get it stuck in this drum." Trish laughed. "Okay, no mocking from this point on."

I yanked the drum from Dez's head. "Thanks, Austin."

"No problem." I said. "I'd pull a drum off your head any day."

"Are they always this odd?" Ally asked Trish.

"No. Sometimes they're worse." Trish laughed.

Ally's eyes widened in mock fear. "Is that possible?"

The two girls cracked up, and Dez and I soon followed. And for a few moments, everything was normal.

_Ally's POV_

I was starting to feel more comfortable around Dez and Austin. It seemed as though they were trying to pretend that nothing had happened. It really did help. There weren't constant reminders about the accident and my memory loss. Trish really helped, by telling me about how life normally was for the four of us. It was pretty strange, but fun at the same time.

I worked at the music store a lot, and after a while I was itching to write a song again. But Trish and Austin insisted that I should wait until I got my memory back. Until I truly realized why I was writing. It wouldn't be right until then. I suppose they were right about that.

I also spent a lot of time thinking about Dallas. I wasn't completely sure what I would do or say the next time I saw him. It was an odd thought for me, as I'd never had a boyfriend before. And something deep down inside was telling me I liked someone else. The question was _who?_

"Have you thought about what you're going to tell Dallas?" Trish brought up the subject one day.

"No, not really. What do you think?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"No way! I mean, I know someone _way _better than him." Trish rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah?" I challenged. "Who?"

"Austin."

"What? No! I'm fairly certain he's just a friend." I shook my head.

"But, I think maybe…"

"You think I like him?" I couldn't believe this. "Well, maybe I _did._ Who knows? But right now I _don't_."

"What are you saying, Ally?"

"That if that is the only thing that you can think of that should stop me from saing yes, then I might as well say yes." I decided.

"What?"

"I'm going to say yes to Dallas."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took so long to get this chapter. School's been keeping me busy!<strong>


	9. The LongAwaited Answer

_Austin's POV_

It's actually kind of ironic how I didn't admit I was in love with Ally until after she forgot who I am. Then Mr. Perfect had to walk into the picture and completely take her from me. Trish wasn't telling me anything about what was going on between Ally and Dallas at the moment. I was positive Ally would've told her. I'd just hope that Trish is trying to get her to like me instead. I doubted it was working.

"Guys, meeting. It's an _emergency_." Trish told us.

"What's wrong? Is it Ally?" I asked. "Gosh, I just know that something's wrong with Ally… WHAT'S WRONG?"

"Um…" Trish began. "She's kinda going to agree to be Dallas's girlfriend."

"Say _what_?" I asked. "This can not be happening to me!"

Trish shrugged. "Sorry, Austin. I guess she still really likes him."

I sighed. "What's it going to take for her to like _me_?"

_Ally's POV_

I was cleaning up the store after closing when Trish knocked on the door. "Trish?" I let her in.

"Ally… please don't say yes to Dallas."

"I'm not going to say no, Trish. And I'm _certainly_ not going to go out with Austin." I told her.

"Please Ally!" Trish was practically begging.

"You don't control me." I told her.

"What's going on with you?" Trish asked. "I thought you cared about what I thought."

"I don't know, Trish. I'm really confused about everything that's going on, but I remember Dallas, so I don't want to say no because it seems like he's a connection to my life before this."

"And what if you get your memory back?"

"I don't know…" I frowned. "If I still like him, then I'll continue to be his. If not…"

"Ally…" Trish started. "You're just going to break the boy's heart."

"Which boy? Austin or Dallas?"

"I think both."

The next day, I ran into Dallas. "Hey!" I grinned at him.

"Good morning, Ally." He smiled at me. Gosh, he has _such_ a cute smile.

"What's up?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Oh, you know. Just working and stuff." He said.

"Fun!"

"Yeah… not really. How are you?"

"I'm… fine. I'm still _really_ confused about this whole amnesia thing."

He put a hand on my shoulder. "Well, you know that I'm here for you."

"Yeah… which is why I wanted to give you an answer."

He dropped his gaze, suddenly very interested in the concrete he stood on. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I wanted to say… I'd love you be your girlfriend."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry that it took me forever to update... I've been super busy! <strong>


	10. Still a Spark of Hope

"Really?" Dallas said, dumbstruck.

"Yeah, I said it, didn't I?" I grinned at him.

"Well, yeah… but I though, Austin…" He stammered.

I continued to grin at him. "Austin? No, we're just friends."

Dallas heaved a sigh of relief. "Well… I guess now I have a girlfriend, don't I?"

"Yeah, you do."

We sat in silence for a bit. "I really need to work…" He said.

"Oh, right." I nodded my head. "I should go to work."

"Lunch?"

"I'm having lunch with Trish…" I started. "But, I suppose I can cancel on her."

"Are you sure?" Dallas questioned. "She won't be mad?"

"Of course not!"

* * *

><p>"<em>Ally!<em>" Trish complained. "You said we would get lunch together!"

"I'm sorry!" I apologized. "I just wanted to get lunch with…"

"Dallas, I know." She rolled her eyes. "You guys have been together for less then 24 hours, and he's already more important than me."

"Trish, you know that's not true." I assured her. "I just want to see him."

"Fine, I'll have lunch with Austin and Dez." She snapped, then thought about it. "Or maybe just Austin. Dez annoys me."

_Austin's POV_

"Ugh, I can't believe this!" I said angrily. "How could I let this happen?"

Trish put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Austin, I promise that it has nothing to do with you. Ally is just really confused about all this, and she wants something to make sense. It just seems like her best option at the moment. She isn't exactly thinking clearly right now."

"I just… I just hoped that maybe…" I trailed off.

"She'll get her memory back, and then we'll know what she's going to do." Trish sighed. "She's really going to hurt one of you two boys once her memory comes back. If it's true that she likes you, she's going to dump Dallas. If not…"

"Then I'll never get my chance." I finished that for her, because I already knew what was coming.

"Austin, just don't think like that." Trish said.

"I can't help it." A tear escaped my eye. "I want her to remember me. I don't care whether she likes me or not… well, I do, but it would be better if she at least knew who I was!"

"She will remember." Trish said.

"How do you know?" I inquired.

"I just do, okay?" That didn't exactly sound believable.

"That really sucks, man…" Dez said when I went to his house that night.

"Yeah…" I said, and tried to smile. Tried to prove that I'm okay. But the truth is, I'm really not.

"I'm sorry." Dez smiled and offered me a piece of pizza.

"It's alright." I was reassuring myself, not really Dez. "She'll get her memory back, and then we know what's going on for sure. Until then, nothing is really, truly official."

"I hope she likes you…" Dez trailed off.

"Oh, please. I'm _way_ better looking than that Dallas." I flipped my hair playfully.

We both laughed. "You are." Dez told me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe."


	11. Maybe a Memory?

_Ally's POV_

I was working at the store when I got a call on my cell phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Ally!" It was Dallas.

"Oh, hey. How'd you get my phone number?"

"I got it from Dez." He confessed.

"You could've just asked me." I said, smiling even though he couldn't see.

"Sorry." He said.

"So why'd you call?"

"I was wondering if you wanna go see a movie or something later." He asked me.

"Yeah, sure!" I said. "Why not?"

"Great! I'll stop by the store at six to get you."

"Fantastic. See ya then." I hung up.

Trish walked into the store. "What's so fantastic?"

"Dallas and I are going to see a movie tonight." I grinned.

Trish rolled her eyes. "What do you even see in that boy? He isn't that attractive, and he has a horrid sense of humor."

"Trish!"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, but I think it's true. And I really don't think he's your type."

"What it's going to take for you to stop this?" I questioned.

"Break up with him." Trish said. "I don't like him."

"No, you just want me to be with Austin."

"That is _so_ true!" Trish said. "But Austin is better than Dallas! I promise you that."

"I don't know, Trish." I said. "I don't know Austin."

"Please, Ally!" Trish begged. "You have to remember!"

"I'm trying…" I promised. "I'm really trying."

Trish looked me in the eye. "It really doesn't seem like. It seems like you've just accepted this as being life."

"What else am I supposed to do?"

_Austin's POV_

I sat down on a bench at the park with Dez. "Austin…"

"My life sucks." I said.

"Austin…"

"It does! I lost Ally… I lost my partner, and I lost the only girl I've ever really liked."

"Austin, she wasn't the only part of your life." Dez said.

I half-smiled. "I know… I've still got you and Trish."

"There you go." Dez smiled at me. "Your life isn't over just because Ally has amnesia. And it _is_ temporary."

"I know…"

"So, it'll get better." Dez assured me. "I promise it will."

"If only Ally remembered…" I mumbled.

"She will, Austin."

"I'm not even sure that she's trying anymore." I admitted. "Maybe… maybe her life seems perfect now, so she doesn't want to remember."

Dez dropped his gaze. "You think that?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I really do."

_Ally's POV_

I was helping the last customer of the day when Dallas walked into the store. "Hey, Ally!"

"Dallas! You're early."

"Yeah, I was wondering if we could grab something to eat before the movie." He grinned at me.

"Alright. Just let me lock up." I said, smiling.

I did so, adjusted a few of the instrument displays, and walked out of the store. "Where are we going?"

"We don't have much time… is Burger King okay?" He asked.

"Sure!" I said.

We walked there together. Once we got inside, I suddenly didn't feel very hungry. "I only want fries…" I muttered, before going to find us a table somewhere.

I sat down, and it wasn't long until Dallas joined me. "You alright?"

I had a sudden memory flash… For a second, I thought that Dallas was Austin. I shook my head slightly, trying to come back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm fine Austin."

"Austin?" Dallas looked shocked.

"Sorry, sorry…" I apologized. "I don't know where that came from."


	12. Austin's Hope

_Ally's POV_

I was so mortified after calling Dallas "Austin" that I'm afraid I messed up the entire date. We didn't talk much at dinner and not at all on the way home. "I'll see ya later, Ally." He had said before dropping me off at home.

"Yeah… I'll see ya." I smiled, hoping the night hadn't been a complete disaster.

I walked inside to find my dad sitting on the couch watching TV. "Hey, Al." He greeted me.

"Hi, Dad." I sighed, plopping down on the couch next to him.

"How was the date?" He inquired.

"It could've been worse." I said. "It could've been better."

Dad rolled his eyes. "First dates are always the worst. They're so awkward." He hugged me. "Why don't you go take a shower and go to bed? You look tired."

I nodded my head and obeyed. It wasn't at all a bad idea. Not only was I tired, but I was stressed and upset. I really screwed up. I took a shower and put on some comfortable shorts and a tank top and sat on my bed. I had a feeling I wasn't going to get much sleep, so I called Trish to fill her in.

"Hello?" She said tiredly.

"Hi, Trish!" I tried to sound cheerful.

"Ally!" She sounded wide awake now. "How was the date?"

"Could've been worse…" I said, trying to be optimistic still.

"What happened?" It was obvious that she was happy that something was messed up. Why doesn't she like Dallas so much?

"I, um…" I took a deep breath. "I accidentally called him Austin…"

"Yes! I knew it!" She said happily. "I mean, darn. Sorry. Hope he doesn't, like, hate you or something."

"Whatever. But that wasn't the only thing that happened. There was a _reason_ I called him Austin." I continued.

"Oh?"

"I had this… thing happen. I'm sure what it was. I saw myself sitting in Burger King with Austin – that's where Dallas took me – and then I slipped up and called Dallas Austin…" I sighed. "I don't know what it was."

"Ally, I think it was a memory." Trish said joyously. "I think you're starting to remember."

_Austin's POV_

It was late by the time Trish called me, telling me how the date went. At first she made it sound like the date went great and I had absolutely no chance with Ally anymore. "I'm glad it went well…" I sighed.

Trish laughed. "I'm just messing with you. Something really great for _you_ happened as well."

Now I was interested. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Trish said, not elaborating at all.

"Are you going to tell me?" I asked impatiently.

She sighed. "I guess so. You know, patience is a virtue."

"Just tell me!" I pleaded, desperate to know. I'm pathetic.

"She accidentally called Dallas 'Austin'." Trish said triumphantly.

"Really? No way!" I said, very happy.

"She said she might've had a memory flash of you guys in Burger King. Isn't that where you went before she got hit by that car?" Trish asked.

"Yeah!" I answered. "So, she's remembering?"

"That's what it sounds like. Isn't this fantastic?"

"Yes! This is amazing! I can't wait for her to fully remember everything. Then we'll know if she really does like me or not."

"I'm sure she did. She'd been acting differently, especially after hanging around with you." Trish assured me. "Trust me. After she gets her memory back, she'll remember liking you."

"Thanks so much, Trish. I never really thought you liked me this much." I said gratefully.

"What? I'm not just your manager, Austin. We're friends, too." She said. "It's Dez that I don't like."

"Dez! Oh my gosh, I should probably tell him all of this." I said. "Thank you so much for calling, Trish."

"Hey, no problem. You deserve to know." She assured me.

After we hung up the phone, I immediately called Dez.

"Dezdezdezdezdez!" I said excitedly.

"! What's up?" He greeted me.

"Ally accidentally called Dallas 'Austin' on her date tonight!" I said. It was sad how happy I was about this, but I was.

"No way! Why?" Dez sounded overjoyed.

"Apparently, she had a memory flash of us at Burger King. You know what that means, right?"

"Dallas was too cheap to take her to a real restaurant?" Dez suggested.

I laughed. "No, she's remembering!"


End file.
